$500 - Leonard is a 12 year old Appy/POA gelding. He is 14.2 hands tall and ended up being a hair too tall to be registered as a POA. He is sound, healthy, current on everything including having his teeth floated, and is very well broke and trained with a lot of buttons for the more advanced rider. He has been on trail rides, tons of arena work and has even crossed rivers out on the trails. Leonard's manners are excellent, he comes right to you when called, leads, loads like a pro and is great for the vet and farrier. This is not a kids horse though. He is a superb horse with looks, intelligence and lots of good training.

Leonard is not appropriate for beginners or for a lesson horse for kids when learning to ride. Leonard will test his rider and he needs someone with experience. Leonard is not malicious or anything, but he will test and will take full advantage of someone who is not going to guide him properly. He does not make a good lesson horse for kids. He will do things such as "you want to go left, no, I think I'd rather go right", or "I think I'll just stand here for a while", etc. He was being used as a lesson horse for kids and did not fit the bill for that. He is a little quirky. Unless the 8-year-old youth rider rides and handles horses like an intermediate adult, Leonard would probably not be the appropriate horse. He is definitely not a horse to be learning on.

I have actually ridden Leonard and have to say that what Karen said is 100% true! He is not mean in any way shape or form, but he will take total advantage of a rider if he thinks he can. He would be perfect for any adult who is OK with telling him No when he does test you. If you tell him No and mean it he will do exactly what you ask him to do. This is why he was not working out as a kids lesson horse. The kids that are still learning to ride did not feel confident enough and he took full advantage.

Overall he is an awesome trail horse and has tons of training!!! For some one who is will to spend the time to bond with him, he will be an amazing partner!!!!

Well got bad news today, it will be a week before I get my pictures back. I'm sure someone will have gotten in there before me. But I can hopefully match one of the others you have in when my papers are approved. Wish he was in Dane adopting, they approved me already. That's been my luck all summer. Someone is going to get a nice horse.

Yes, it's too bad you just stumbled upon Leonard and didn't already have your approved application in when he arrived so you could call and make an appointment to meet him. That is the nice thing about having an approved application on file with MHWF, then when a horse comes in that you are interested in, all you have to do is call to learn more about the horse and then set up an appointment if we all feel like it might be a good match. The thing is that you never know how long any particular horse will be here, it has to be a good match with the right person before they get adopted.

Leonard came out today for a little test ride. Thank you Karin! Karin hasn't been here in a while because she is working full-time as well as going to school, so her time has been limited, but we very much appreciated her help today with things around here.

Leonard did well on his test ride. He came from someone we know well and we know we can trust their word right to a T, and when she says he is not a kid's horse, that is exactly what that means. We were able to see where Leonard could have intimidated a kid or an inexperienced person. With the right person, this boy is awesome. He did walk-trot-canter in the round pen today very well. Here are a few pictures of Leonard on his test ride today, 10/9/2016.

Having ridden and spent time with Leonard I really don't think he would be a good speed event pony, he is not built for that and has no get up and go for barrel events.

Having said that, Leonard would be the perfect trail riding partner for an experienced adult!!!!! He has a great mind!! I have been on many trail rides with him and he will go where ever his rider points him. If something worries him on trail he does not bolt or spin around, he stops and thinks about it. To me this is a great quality in a trail horse!!!! We have even taken him over obstacles that you would find in a trail class, like the bridge and the gait and he does great with them!!!!

He is just a super little trail horse who knows how to do collection and area movements too. Some one is really going to get a great horse with Leonard!!!!

I am coming in late to the discussion here, but thank you Terri for your valued input on Leonard. The time that we've spent with Leonard now so far would have me saying that he's definitely not the barrel horse kind of guy as well.

Leonard got adopted late Thursday night! He is now a resident of Minnesota.

Because it was pitch dark outside by the time the appointment was over, we could not do an official adoption day photo, but Patricia promised to send photos the next day and here they are to share. So far, all is well and Leonard has two new buddies, one of them a 36 year old mare.

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